1 Night, 2 Rounds
Set in the rolling Shropshire countryside near the Wales border, Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel, Golf & Spa is a strong shout for a straightforward, good-value UK golf break. You've got two on-site championship courses, a recently upgraded four-star hotel (following a £10 million investment) and a well-equipped spa set-up for post-round recovery.
Hill Valley is home to the Emerald and Sapphire courses, both opened in 1975 and now well established, with enough difference between them to keep a weekend interesting. It's also an easy one for travel, less than an hour from Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent, with Whitchurch station only two miles away.
Off the course you'll find 81 refurbished bedrooms, two bars, The Borders Restaurant, a 20-metre pool and a thermal suite. For groups and societies, the big win is convenience. You can play, eat, have a drink and get back to your room without needing taxis or a long drive between rounds.
Who is this for?
Golfers or groups looking for a well-rounded UK break that pairs two quality courses with four-star facilities, a spa, and easy access from the Midlands and North West.
Who is it best for?
Societies, couples and small groups who want variety in their golf, comfortable accommodation, and the option to relax properly between rounds without travelling far from the hotel.
* Where applicable, the relevant promotions will be applied during the booking process. T&Cs may apply.
1 Night, 2 Rounds
2 Nights, 3 Rounds
3 Nights, 4 Rounds
The Emerald Course is named as such in a tribute to its lush, green environment, and is an excellent resort course, being suitably challenging for skilled players, whilst remaining playable for the average visitor. The natural undulations of the landscape work in harmony with the strategically positioned water hazards and sand traps to create many challenging holes, while the superb greens are expertly maintained to ensure that they putt beautifully throughout the year.
| Par | 73 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas |
| Opened in | 1975 |
| White | 6,714 yards | SSS 72 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 6,304 yards | SSS 70 |
| Red | 5,509 yards | SSS 71 |
The Sapphire Course may be considerably shorter than the Emerald, but it is no less entertaining. At 4,801 yards, you would not expect to be unduly challenged, but the abundant hazards, particularly the water, make matching the par of 66 extremely difficult. A deadly short game is priceless around the Sapphire, where those with a good grasp of the ‘scoring shots' - from within 100 yards - will no doubt reap the rewards.
Hill Valley's two golf courses and excellent facilities make it an ideal host for a corporate golf day.
Hole 18 (Emerald Course), Par 4, 401 yards (White Tees), SI 9
The 18th on the Emerald contains an exciting approach shot over a pond. The green is small, and contains bunkers left and right, with trees behind ensuring that any mishit shots will be punished accordingly. A fantastic closing hole requiring a sustained concentration to score par.
| Par | 66 |
|---|---|
| Designed by | Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas |
| Opened in | 1975 |
| White | 4,801 yards | SSS 64 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | 4,454 yards | SSS 62 |
| Red | 4,145 yards | SSS 64 |
The hotel at Hill Valley reflects the £10 million investment clearly, from the moment you walk into the reception through to the 81 guest bedrooms that now sit comfortably at four-star standard. Each room comes with the sort of touches you'd expect, plasma screen televisions, quality linens, and enough space to unpack properly after a round. The layout is straightforward, the décor is contemporary without being flashy, and the rooms are genuinely restful, which matters when you're planning to play 36 holes the next day.
Service across the hotel is attentive without being overbearing. The team knows the rhythm of a golf break, when to be visible and when to let you get on with things, and that understanding runs through everything from check-in to breakfast service. After 36 holes, it's easy to wind down with dinner, a swim and a comfortable night's sleep.
For dining, The Borders Restaurant is the main evening option, with the chef's Shropshire Cheese beignet a standout on a menu that leans into local produce and classic British cooking done well. It's a relaxed, golfer-friendly set-up, ideal after a day on the courses. If you're after something lighter, the Denby Lounge Bar handles lunch and casual bites throughout the day, while the Masters Bar does exactly what a 19th hole should: cold drinks, comfortable seating, and enough space for a group to settle in and replay the round.
The spa and wellness complex is a genuine asset, particularly the 20-metre pool and thermal suite, which get plenty of use from golfers looking to ease tired legs after a hilly round. The treatment menu covers the usual face and body options, all delivered in a calm, well-designed space that feels separate from the busier parts of the hotel. There's also a Technogym-equipped fitness suite for anyone who wants to keep up their routine, though most guests are here for the golf and the recovery rather than extra cardio.
Hill Valley works well for mixed-ability groups because the facilities give non-golfers or lighter players plenty to do, while serious golfers get two full championship courses and the kind of hotel that understands what you need after 18 holes.
Macdonald Hill Valley is just north of Whitchurch in Shropshire, around two miles from Whitchurch train station. Chester is 20 miles away, Shrewsbury 24 miles and Crewe 17 miles, so it's straightforward by car or rail. The location works particularly well for English golfers wanting a quick escape or those combining Hill Valley with courses over the border in Wales. Parking is ample, the grounds are well kept, and the whole setup feels designed around making a golf break as straightforward as possible.
Address: Tarporley Road, Whitchurch, Shropshire, England, SY13 4HA
Marc
✓4 Mar 2020
Food was amazing, staff were just as good
Derek
✓26 Feb 2020
staff where excellent , great value food was good
Anne
✓10 Dec 2019
Hotel clean and bedroom spacious and comfortable. Breakfast had plenty of choice, hot food was served by Staff so long queues formed. The meal in the evening was ok and reflected our package price. Wine list very expensive. Understaffed throughout the Hotel though Restaurant Staff very pleasant. We received a free bucket of beers courtesy of Your Golf travel but no bottle opener accompanied the beer, my husband asked for an opener but non was forthcoming, we found our own bottle opener in our car.
Alan
✓29 Sep 2019
The hotel was very good. Clean welcoming staff very friendly and helpful. The only let down was the food quality breakfast and our first evening meal ( avoid the beetroot salad ) The spa and pool facilities first class
Tod
✓20 Sep 2019
Great hotel
Bob
✓19 Sep 2019
Staff have been excellent throughout. When we started to arrive at a busy breakfast, staff quickly sorted us out with coffee, etc. No problem. All requests were dealt with promptly. Rooms were very well appointed. Hotel is modern and comfortable. We had a separate room for our group of 40 which was a good bonus. Drink and snack prices are a bit steep, but profits have to be made and the 20% off bar drinks helped. It didn’t hold anyone back!
Paul
✓2 Sep 2019
Hotel was bery clean, nice rooms and great facilities. The restaurant seemed a bit short staffed at times however which prolongued times btween courses but bothing too bad. Would definitely be returning
Ian
✓28 Aug 2019
Went on a very busy bank holiday weekend. There was also a large wedding reception underway as well. The rooms were roomy and very well appointed. The staff did an amazing job in looking after even though we could see they were under real pressure .
Philip
✓17 Aug 2019
Very accommodating and helpful
Stephen
✓4 Aug 2019
Really good value and this place has huge potential to be much better. The hotel and facilities just require some updating.
Marc
✓4 Mar 2020
Course should of been shut due to how wet it was. But pro advised he was really sorry he couldn’t move us onto other course as a convo was on all day.. even though it prob should of been shut anyway but couldn’t they couldn’t turn that sort of money away. Electric trolleys wouldn’t even work on the fairways/paths as it was so wet, after trying to push them up the first with no joy we had to retire after 1 hole.. not impressed. Ruined the weekend 0 value for money. Had we been informed before we arrived we would of gladly rescheduled as the whole weekend was a waste of money. Managing only 9 holes in 2 days. 👎
Marc
✓4 Mar 2020
Course was unplayable due to recent rain. Only managed 8 holes. Should of been shut, but couldn’t as “ can’t turn down the money generated from a am am comp on the sun”. Very disappointing as we would of reached had we been informed, even though phoned earlier and was told course would be playable.
Derek
✓26 Feb 2020
the weather was bad and course wet but fully understandable - but the greens held up well and the course just about was playable
Anne
✓10 Dec 2019
Hired a buggy, used the pathways as the course very wet and boggy, so the game obviously took longer to play than expected. The course was challenging in places. The greens were quite fast but held some moss and previous players had not repaired greens from divot marks. Would play again in better weather.
Alan
✓29 Sep 2019
Great condition the better if the 2 courses by far Beware the 17th green Definitely require a buggy fir this one
Alan
✓29 Sep 2019
Considering the amount if rainfall tbe previous col day the course was in really good condition greens true and fast
Tod
✓20 Sep 2019
We were offered another round on the Emerald on our second day. I suspect this was because the Sapphire was not well maintained. Very little effort had been done on the greens which were patchy and sandy. The fairways were quite long grassed and the course condition was poor.
Tod
✓20 Sep 2019
The better maintained course of the two
Bob
✓19 Sep 2019
Judging by the results from our group of40 seniors, this was a challenging course, but it was in very good condition and looked superb. After quite a lot of rain, the ground was rather greasy in places and the ball did not run as it might but the greens were fast. Everyone enjoyed the course and all reactions were positive regardless of results. As tour organiser, I was very happy to have brought my group to Hill Valley.
Bob
✓19 Sep 2019
This shorter course is quite challenging and was the correct choice as a warm up before two rounds on the Emerald. However, as the pro shop admitted, the course is in need of improvement. It is a tight tricky course with only one par 5. There are too many trees and they are too large, narrowing a tight course even further. Too much searching for balls in trees and undergrowth. The greens are patchy and do not run evenly which further frustrates. My members came in from this round with moans and criticism. However, I understand that plans are afoot to sort things out over the winter and it could be a much better prospect by next summer. Having said all this, a course is a course and you have to play it as it stands.
